Germany-based aluminium producer Speira is investing €40mn in the construction of a new recycling furnace and the remodelling of an existing casting plant at its Rheinwerk facility in Neuss, as it begins the transformation of the old primary aluminium smelter into a recycling hub.
Speira fully curtailed its primary smelter at Rheinwerk in March last year due to high energy costs. This was part of a series of primary smelting operation closures across Europe which saw the continent lose more than a third of its aluminium smelting capacity.
This investment marks the first step in the facility's transformation into a recycling operation, which will see one-third of the phased out smelter's area be converted into a new scrap warehouse providing storage space and sampling facilities.
"With its strategic location in the heart of Europe, we are expanding Rheinwerk into a leading recycling hub for our industry, which is our long-term goal for our complete transformation," Boris Kurth, head of Speira's can business and its operations at Rheinwerk, said in a statement.
"The long halls allow us to think and plan big. This huge new scrap warehouse creates space for the ‘feed' for all of our recycling furnaces — not just the new one," he said.
The new recycling furnace is expected to be complete by next year, with production scheduled to begin in early 2026, and will process alloys for use in the beverage can industry.
